Safety concerns for Spidey

Thesp injured during tuner's sales presentation

The producers of “Spider-Man, Turn off the Dark” have vowed “safety first” after a performer broke both wrists during a presentation of the technically ambitious tuner.

The injury, which occurred late last week during a presentation for group-sales ticket mavens, underlines the potential risks involved in the ambitious, boundary-pushing stunts that creatives aim to incorporate into the “Spider-Man” staging.

Running costs for the production are said to be in the range of $1 million per week — a huge number compared to other Main Stem offerings — with a part of that pricetag coming from the complicated stunt work.

Kevin Aubin, one of many thesps who perform stunts as the title character, was injured after being sling-shot through the air and landing on the stage. Aubin is expected to return next week to the show, which stars Reeve Carney as the mask-off Peter Parker.

“A multitude of factors, technical and human, contributed to the accident,” said lead producer Michael Cohl in a statement. “Our priority from ‘day 1′ has always been to put safety first. We continue every day to make the running of the show a safer experience. …Bottom line: we will meet every safety requirement and beyond.”

Injuries for Broadway performers are far from unheard of. The physical demands of dancing can often leads to sprains and pains, and as the technological complexity of Rialto shows has increased over the years, safety has become a regular consideration for new productions and for the stage unions who rep thesps and running crews. High-profile stage injuries in recent years include a broken ankle for Christina Applegate in a 2005 revival of “Sweet Charity” and a 20-foot fall taken by an actor in 2008 during the pre-show set-up for “The Little Mermaid.” Capitalized at a record-busting $60 million, “Spider-Man” comes to the stage featuring a number of flying effects that have been developed in a series of developmental workshops. Julie Taymor helms the show, which has music by Bono and the Edge of U2. After a series of delays and a shakeup among the producing team, “Spider-Man” is set to begin previews Nov. 14 ahead of a Dec. 21 opening at the Foxwoods Theater.